Area hoop stars honored

Stratford's Teandre Hansley will play in the North-South all-star classic on Saturday. ROB GANTT/GAZETTE

A total of three area players have earned spots on the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association’s all-state teams for the 2012-13 season and two will play in all-star games.Two of the all-state selections are from Goose Creek High School. Junior guard Dantez Bennamon, who powered the Gators to the Class AAAA championship game, was named to the Class AAAA all-state boys team, while senior wing Ashley Fields was selected to Class AAAA girls all-state team.Bennamon averaged 20.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game this season in leading the Gators to a 22-5 record. He will be one of the state’s top seniors next winter.Stratford junior post player Demetre Rivers was also named to the Class AAAA all-state boys team. Rivers, who will also be one of the state’s top seniors next season, averaged 18.1 points and 6.7 boards a game for the Knights.“We call him our Kevin Durant,” SHS coach Troy Johnson said of the 6-foot, 7-inch Rivers. “Demetre has good upside for the next level. He’s got good ball skills on the perimeter… He can go anywhere from mid-major to high Division I. He needs to put on a couple of pounds.”Fields and Stratford guard Teandre Hansley will conclude their careers in the North-South all-star game this weekend.Fields, a High Point signee, will play for the South Carolina team versus North Carolina’s all-stars in the 16th annual Carolina All-Star Classic in Myrtle Beach. That game will tip off 6:30 p.m. on March 23 at Socastee High School.She averaged 11.9 points and 7.8 rebounds a game for the Lady Gators.“This has been the culmination of hard work over a life time from someone who truly loves the game,” GCHS coach Tim Baldwin said. “She is an unselfish teammate and it’s only the start of a college career that will go to another level because of that love and the hard work that she will continue to put in each day.”This is the third year in a row that Goose Creek has had a player in the game and the last two were chosen as MVP (N’Dea Bryant and Aleighsa Welch).Hansley was one of the area’s top scorers this season and showcased that ability often, even through sickness. He averaged 17.1 points per game.Hansley’s highlight was a 43-point performance during the Roundball Classic over Christmas break. Johnson also said Hansley fought through illness to score 25 points in a half against Summerville.“I’m very happy for him,” Johnson said. “He was a tough player for us. He will definitely play college ball in the next year. This could help him tremendously. This is a chance to show off his talent.”He is the first male Stratford player to make the North-South since Donnell Covington.The North-South games begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday, beginning with the girls. The boys follow at 5 p.m.

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